Israeli airstrikes struck central Beirut on Wednesday in what officials described as the most intense bombardment of the capital in the current phase of the Israel-Hezbollah war, killing at least 300 people and wounding over 1,000 more, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. The strikes hit densely populated commercial and residential districts without warning, transforming what had been a busy midday in the seaside city into a scene of devastation.
The attacks came just hours after a ceasefire had been announced in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, briefly raising hopes across Lebanon that the violence might subside. Instead, that sense of relief dissolved almost immediately, replaced by panic as explosions rang out across the capital.
Columns of black smoke rose above multiple neighborhoods as ambulances raced through traffic-clogged streets toward open flames. Associated Press journalists at the scene reported seeing charred bodies in vehicles and along roadways in one of Beirut’s busiest intersections, in the Corniche al Mazraa district, an area known for its mix of residential buildings and small businesses. Rescue workers used forklifts to move smoldering debris while searching for survivors buried beneath collapsed structures.
Apartment buildings were struck, and the sound of detonations cut through the honking of cars and the rhythm of a typical weekday afternoon. Many of those caught in the attacks were civilians, including people already displaced by earlier fighting who had sought refuge in central Beirut.
Israel’s military said the strikes were part of a coordinated operation targeting more than 100 Hezbollah-linked sites within a span of minutes, describing it as its largest offensive action in the current war. According to Israeli officials, the targets included missile launchers, command centers and intelligence infrastructure and were spread across Beirut, southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley.
The military also accused Hezbollah fighters of attempting to “blend into” areas outside their traditional strongholds, including mixed neighborhoods in central Beirut—a claim that local residents and officials strongly disputed.
The strikes marked a shift in intensity and geography. While central Beirut has been targeted before, it has rarely been hit with such force, and almost never during daylight hours on this scale. Since the latest conflict erupted on March 2, Israeli attacks have been more concentrated in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburbs.
The timing of the strikes, so soon after the Iran-related ceasefire announcement, added to the confusion. For many Lebanese, the ceasefire had signaled a potential pause in hostilities, even if uncertainty remained over whether it would extend to Lebanon.
President Donald Trump, speaking to PBS NewsHour, addressed that ambiguity directly. He said Lebanon was not included in the agreement due to Hezbollah’s involvement, and when asked about the latest Israeli strikes, he characterized them as “a separate skirmish.”
Lebanese officials reacted with alarm, describing the attacks as a dangerous escalation at a moment when diplomatic efforts were ongoing. Minister of Social Affairs Haneen Sayed said the strikes represented a major turning point, particularly because of where they were concentrated.
“These hits are now at the heart of Beirut. Half of the sheltered (internally displaced people) are in Beirut in this area.”
Sayed added that she had personally driven through some of the affected neighborhoods and emphasized that the government was still seeking a negotiated end to hostilities. “There are calls and efforts being made as we speak,” she said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he had authorized direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible,” aimed at disarming Hezbollah and potentially establishing relations between the two countries, which have technically been at war since 1948.
Netanyahu also stressed that no ceasefire exists between Israel and Hezbollah, and said Israel would continue striking the group “with force, precision and determination” until security is restored in northern Israel.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam accused Israel of escalating the conflict at a time when Lebanese officials were actively pursuing a diplomatic solution. In a statement, he said the strikes targeted civilian areas in “utter disregard for the principles of international law and international humanitarian law—principles it has, in any case, never respected.”
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun also condemned the attacks, calling them “barbaric.”
The human toll continued to rise as emergency responders worked through the wreckage. Over the course of just five weeks since the war intensified, Lebanon has recorded 1,739 deaths and 5,873 injuries.
The latest strikes marked the deadliest day in Lebanon since the war began in late February, according to officials.
Despite Israel’s assertion that it was striking military targets, local officials and residents maintained that the buildings hit were civilian structures with no known military presence.
“Look at these crimes,” said Mohammed Balouza, a member of Beirut’s municipal council, standing near the site of a strike in Corniche al Mazraa. Behind him, an apartment building adjacent to a shop selling nuts and dried fruit had been heavily damaged. “This is a residential area. There is nothing (military) here.”
There was no immediate sign that Hezbollah had launched retaliatory strikes in the first hours following the bombardment, raising questions about how the group might respond in the coming days.
A Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said the group had been allowing space for mediators to attempt to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon. However, he emphasized that Hezbollah had not formally committed to any agreement.
The official also made clear that the group would reject any return to the conditions that existed prior to March 2, when Israel carried out near-daily strikes in Lebanon despite a nominal ceasefire that had been in place since the end of the last full-scale war in November 2024.
“We have not announced our adherence to the ceasefire since the Israelis are not adhering to it…We will not accept for the Israelis to continue behaving as they did before this war with regards to attacks.”
As the situation escalated, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a direct warning to Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem, saying “his turn will come.” The statement echoed Israel’s previous targeting of Hezbollah leadership, including the killing of former leader Hassan Nasrallah in a 2024 airstrike.
Katz described Wednesday’s operation as the most significant blow against Hezbollah since an earlier attack in which pagers used by hundreds of the group’s members exploded almost simultaneously.
Israel’s military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, said the strikes were aimed at protecting Israel’s northern residents, who have faced sustained rocket fire since the conflict intensified. Israeli officials say hundreds of Hezbollah fighters have been killed in the campaign.
Israel said Thursday it had also killed an aide to Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem, identifying him as Ali Yusuf Harshi, though Hezbollah did not immediately confirm the claim.
The broader conflict has displaced more than 1 million people across Lebanon, creating a deepening humanitarian crisis. Many of those displaced had sought refuge in central Beirut, believing it to be relatively safer than the country’s southern regions.
Earlier Wednesday, before the strikes began, there were signs that some families were preparing to return home. In Beirut and the coastal city of Sidon, people living in tents had started packing their belongings, hopeful that the ceasefire might allow them to leave.
That hope quickly unraveled.
At a large displacement camp along Beirut’s waterfront, families expressed confusion and despair as news of the strikes spread. In Sidon, others who had planned to return to southern Lebanon reconsidered, unsure whether it was safe to move.
“We can’t take this anymore, sleeping in a tent, not showering, the uncertainty,” said Fadi Zaydan, 35, who had been preparing to return with his parents to the southern city of Nabatieh.
Instead, they decided to remain in Sidon, closer to home but still displaced, waiting for some indication that the violence might subside.
In the aftermath of the strikes, regional tensions showed signs of further escalation. Iran announced later Wednesday that it was halting the movement of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, according to state-run media—a move that could have broader implications for global energy markets and the trajectory of the conflict.
The strait, a critical global oil route through which roughly 20% of the world’s traded oil and gas passes, has seen sharply reduced traffic, with dozens of ships reportedly waiting to transit amid ongoing tensions. Oil prices have surged amid the uncertainty.
At the same time, questions remain over the future of Iran’s nuclear program and stockpile of enriched uranium, which continue to be central points of tension in ceasefire negotiations between Tehran, Washington and its allies.
For now, however, the immediate impact remains concentrated in Lebanon, where civilians continue to navigate a rapidly shifting and increasingly volatile situation—one in which even moments of apparent calm can give way, within hours, to renewed destruction.
Moumita Basuroychowdhury is a Contributing Reporter at The National Digest. After earning an economics degree at Cornell University, she moved to NYC to pursue her MFA in creative writing. She enjoys reporting on science, business and culture news. You can reach her at moumita.b@thenationaldigest.com.
